Sack holder



Aug. 30, 1938. E. P. LAWSON 2,123,68

SACK HOLDER Filed Feb. 18, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l E. F Lawsan E. P. LAWSON Aug. 30, 3938.

SACK HOLDER Fiied Feb. 18, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .EAM v Lam/5017 Patented Aug. 30, 1938 '.iJNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE SACK HOLDER Eugene Preston Lawson, San Angelo, Tex.

Application February 18, 1937, Serial No. 126,492 claims. v(o1. 24S- 97) This invention relates to sack holders, particularly designed for holding sacks used on ranches to receive wool and mohair as it is sheared from the animals at the shearing pens..

On large sheep ranches it is usual to store the wool as it is sheared from the sheep in long sacks averaging about six feet in length and about twenty-six inches in diameter. Each sack, when fully packed, will hold anywhere from two hundred nity to three hundred pounds. During the filling of the sacks, they are supported ordinarily upon small wooden towers having planks nailed over the top thereof and provided with a hole about twenty-five inches in diameter. The sack to be filled is lowered through this hole and held at the top in open position by wrapping the top around a. metal ring somewhat larger in diameter than the diameter of the hole in the plank. Then large nails or pegs are driven through the bag, where it is doubled under the ring, and into the planking in order to hold the bag in open position during the filling thereof.

As the weight of wool in the bag increases, the pull against the top of the bag also increases, and it becomes quite a problem to release the top of the bag so that it can be tied and removed frorn the tower. Heretofore, this removal has been effected by one of the workmen using a long pole as a lever under the bottom of the lled bag and then prying it up and holding it in raised position until another man can release the bag at the top and tie the same. This operation involves the work of twomen and a great deal of time.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a very strong light and durable tower for supporting bags to be filled, and which is constructed so that one man can attend to the filling of the bag and the raising and tying of the mouth thereof from the support at the top of the tower.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tower of this Character with a support for the bottom of the bag which can be adjusted very readily to raise the filled bag and hold it in raised position in which the open mouth thereof may be closed and tied.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision in such towers of means whereby the filled bag may be released from locked position at the top of the tower and may be readily dumped therefrom.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a simple and accessible means for locking the open mouth of the bags to be filled in filling position. I

Other objects of the invention will become apparent as the detailed description thereof proceeds.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective of a sack holding tower constructedv in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is a central vertical section through 10 said tower;

Figure 3 is a top plan of the tower;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail illustrating part of the means for raising and lowering the filled'bags; and 15 Figure 5 is a side elevation, to an enlarged scale, of a means for securing the mouth of an open'bag in filling position in the tower.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar parts are designated by like numerals:

The tower forming the subject matter of the invention comprises four angle iron legs 6, l, 8 and 9 inclined toward each other and connected at the top thereof by a substantially rectangular frame designated generally by the reference numeral I0. The frame I0 is made preferably from a single strip of angle iron having the vhorizontal flange thereof notched to permit the strip to be bent in theform of a: square having vertical flanges Il, I2, I3 and I4, and horizontal 30 flanges I5, I6, I1 and I8, respectively. n

The frame I Il may be bolted or weldedl or otherwise secured to the upper ends of the legs 6, 1, -8 and 9. The lower ends of these legs are secured in proper position by means of the braces I9, 20, 2|, and 22. Braces 23, 24 and 25-are used to secure the legs 6 9, 6-1, 9-8 at their centers. Diagonal braces 2tv and 21 are secured at their opposite ends to the legs 6 and 9 and tothe center brace 23. Diagonal braces 28 and 40 29 are secured at their opposite, ends to the upper and lower parts of the legs 6 and 'l and to the central` cross brace 24'.- Similarly the diagonal braces 30 and 3i are secured at their opposite ends to the upper and lower parts of the legs 8 and 9 and to the central cross brace 25. Each of these pairs of diagonal braces are secured at their intersection by bolts or rivets, or by welding. The space between the legs l and 8 may be considered the front or discharge part of the 5u tower. I'his space is, therefore, clear of all braces except the horizontal braces at the top and bottom thereof. The upper ends of the legs 'l and 8 are shaped to form extensions 32 and 33 parallel to each other and receiving between them a board or plate 34 adapted to serve as a deflector plate to prevent wool thrown toward the open mouth of the sack from passing over the top, and to insure its passage through the open mouth of the sack.

A pivot rod 35 is fixed between the lower ends of the legs l and 8; and serves as a pivotal support for one end of the bottom 35, illustrated herein as a frame comprising substantially parallel cross bars 31 and 38 connected by transverse bars 39, 40, 4|, 42, 43, 44 and 45. The cross bar 45 has a cable 46 connected to its opposite ends and extending upwardly of the tower for connection to a drum 4l which is suitably secured to a shaft 48.

The shaft 48 is journaled in bearings 49 and 55 suitably secured to the Vertical vflange H of the frame I0. One end of the shaft projects through the bearing 49 and is shaped to form a crank handle 5|. The other end of the shaft projects through the bearing 50 and is provided at its end with a ratchet gear 52, the teeth of which are adapted to be engaged by a pawl 53 suitably pivoted to the upper part of the brace 3l or to any other convenient part of the tower.

It will be apparent from inspection of the drawings, that the shaft 48 may be rotated by the crank handle 5l to raise and lower the bottom 3G about its pivot rod 35; and that the pawl 53 engaging the gear 52 will hold the bottom 36 in any desired raised position. When so raised, it is obvious that the mouth of the bag can be released from any locking means which may be provided at the top of the tower; and in this released position, can be tied securely. The upward inclination of the bottom 36 also serves to tip the lled bag outwardly of the tower through the unobstructed space between the legs 'l and 8.

To secure the open bag B in position for filling at the top of the tower, the frame. IQ, or rather the horizontal anges thereof, has four diagonally extending brackets 54 suitably secured thereto. Since these brackets and the latching means connected thereto are structurally the same only one of them will be described in detail. As shown in Figure 5 of the drawings, each bracket 54 is bent at its outer end to form an arcuate recess 55 adapted to seat a ring 58 around which the open mouth of the bag B is wrapped. The outer end of the bracket 54 where it contacts with the bag is provided withteeth adapted to make gripping contact with the bag.

The bracket 54 is also provided with a standard 5l to the upperend of which is pivoted a latch 58 having teeth at its outer end adapted to contact with the bag at the part immediately opposite the teeth on the outer end of the bracket 55. A strong snap spring 59 is secured vat one end to a side of the latch 58, and at its other end is secured to the bracket 54. It will be obvious that the spring 59 will hold the latch 58 either in contact with or out of contact with the bag B.

An alternative means for holding the mouth of the bag in open position on the horizontal flanges of the frame I0, is illustrated in Figure 2. In this gure the ring 56 about which the upper end of the bag is wrapped, rests upon the said horizontal flanges, and is secured in this position by means of large nails or spikes 60 which are forced through the contacting portions of the wrapped end directly below the lower edges of said horizontal flanges. This latter securing means is somewhat similar to that in common use, but is obviously not so desirable as the latches illustrated in Figure 5, since nails or spikes are more likely to get lost than the latches which are permanent- 1y connected to and form a part of the locking mechanism of the tower.

Numerous variations may doubtless be devised by persons skilled in the art without departing from the principles of my invention. I, therefore, desire no limitations to be imposed on my inven tion, except such as are indicated in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A sack holder comprising a frame having four legs suitably braced to form a substantially Vertical tower having the space between two legs unobstructed, means connected to the upper end of said legs for detachably holding a sack with its mouth in open position, a bottom pivoted at the open side of said tower to support the lower end of a bag suspended by said holding means, and means connected to the free end of said bottom to swing the same about its pivot for raising and lowering a bag supported thereby.

2. A sack holder comprising a frame having four legs suitably braced to form a substantially vertical tower, means connected to the upper end of said legs for detachably holding a sack with its mouth in open position, a bottom pivoted to one side of said tower to support the lower end of a bag suspended by said holding means, and means rotatable at the upper end of the other side of said tower and connected to the free end of said bottom to swing the same about its pivotal connection with said lower.

3. A sack holder comprising a plurality of legs braced to form a tower, means connected to the upper ends of said legs for detachably holding a sack with its mouth open, a platform pivoted between two legs adjacent the bottom of the tower, the space between those two legs and the sack holding means being unobstructed and means for tilting said platform upwards and toward said unobstructed space.

4. The structure of claim 3 with means for locking said platform tilting means with the plat form at different angles.

5. The structure of claim 3 in which the means for tilting the platform comprises a ratchet and pawl controlled windlass mounted adjacent the sack holding means and flexible members secured to the platform and windlass.

EUGENE PRESTON LAWSON. 

